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Munchie Legaux aims to be a factor again for Cincinnati

Nicole Auerbach
USA TODAY Sports
Ten months after surgery to repair his torn ACL and PCL, Munchie Legaux hopes to contend to regain his job as Cincinnati's starting QB.

NEWPORT, R.I. — Today, Munchie Legaux is smiling.

He is smiling because he is standing on his own two feet. He's also walking. And he's here at American Athletic Conference media day, representing the Cincinnati football program.

None of those are things Legaux takes for granted — not anymore, not after what happened in that game against Illinois last September. Legaux, the Bearcats' senior starting quarterback, was hit as he delivered an incomplete third-down pass in the fourth quarter. He was tackled low, and his left knee twisted in a way a knee is not supposed to twist.

The injury was grotesque, so gruesome Cincinnati coach Tommy Tuberville called it Tuesday "the worst injury I've ever seen, a Joe Theismann injury." Legaux said he's not watched video of it, nor does he plan to.

In the ambulance on the way to the hospital, all Legaux remembers was asking questions. Did we win? Did he catch the ball? No, and no. He realized quickly it might also be time for some more serious questions — like, would he ever play football again?

"All I was hearing from anyone was, 'I don't know much. I don't know if you'll ever play again,' " Legaux said Tuesday. "It was a tough, tough deal. Looking back, it made me stronger. It made me realize that football can be taken from you at any moment.

"I've learned a lot. I learned anything is possible — because here I am walking. They said I would never walk, never run. I can go out there and fully play football. I can throw a football, and I can run and cut."

Ten months after surgery to repair his torn ACL and PCL and two weeks out from the start of fall camp, the 6-5, 200-pound Legaux said he currently feels 85-90% healthy. Because of fluky scheduling, the Bearcats begin their season with a pair of byes. Their first game isn't until Sept. 12, giving Legaux more time to get healthy. He said he hopes to start, but if he doesn't get the starting job, he'll be sophomore Gunner Kiel's "No. 1 supporter."

Cincinnati quarterback Munchie Legaux is carted off the field after suffering a major knee injury during the fourth quarter against Illinois on Sept. 7, 2013.

As of now, despite Legaux's progress and overwhelming optimism, it's Kiel's job to lose.

"Going into camp and all summer long, Gunner has thrown with the No. 1 players, so he's considered No. 1," Tuberville said. "Someone's going to have to beat him out. Munchie hasn't been able to do near as much. I wish he were full-speed, but he's not physically and mentally. … Gunner Kiel is, I think, going to be a heck of a quarterback. The problem is, he hasn't taken a snap in three years. You're only as good — especially early — as your quarterback. He can get you out of problems."

The reason Kiel hasn't taken a snap in years? The same reason he will be one of the nation's most intriguing quarterbacks. Kiel was considered the best quarterback prospect in the class of 2012 and picked up offers to more than 15 big-time Football Bowl Subdivision programs. He committed to — then decommitted from — Indiana and LSU before signing with Notre Dame. He did not play during his first season in South Bend, prompting him to transfer to Cincinnati. He sat out last season, per transfer rules.

"He's a legend already," Tuberville said. "He's had a lot of notoriety for somebody who's never played. I've been around a few of those in my life. Some have made it, some haven't. We'll have to wait and see when the lights come on, if he can get the job done."

In the meantime, Legaux will continue to work toward his ultimate goal: Snatching that starting spot back. He's spent much of the summer in the weight room squatting, doing Olympic lifts and getting his left quad stronger while working on his balance. He said his range of motion is "all the way back," and while his mobility is improving, he's "not the same Munchie."

In 31 career games for the Bearcats, Legaux has thrown for 2,847 yards and 20 touchdowns, and he's run for 627 yards and seven more.

"I'm slowly getting back to who I was," said Legaux, who was granted an extra year of eligibility by the NCAA after the injury. "Cutting and planting and running doesn't define the quarterback position. The quarterback is the leader; he's running the offense. That's what I want to be defined as."

Count Tuberville among those hoping to see a healthy Legaux take the field in a Bearcats uniform this fall.​

"He got a second life," Tuberville said. "In his heart, he wants to play. Every day, our trainer comes in: He's doing this, he's getting better at this. … He's got a legitimate chance to be a factor; that's physically. Mentally, you never know how they're going to react. I don't know if I'd ever stand back in the pocket again and let somebody run at me. But he wants to play. He wants to be part of this. The players respect him.

"I'd love for him to run out there in the early part of the year as a guy that's going to help us win games."

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